Celebrazione Festa Nazionale Il 3 giugno 2013 si e svolto il ricevimento per celebrare la festa della Repubblica. Organizzato nel giardino della residenza, la serata ha visto la partecipazione di oltre 350 invitati tra connazionali residenti in Zambia, diplomatici, esponenti del governo (ospite d`onore il Vice Ministro dell`agricultura e dell`allevamento on. Greyford Mondela) della societa locale, religiosi e missionari. Anche quest`anno e stato offerto un rinfresco interemamente basato su specialita italiane preparate al momento dal ristorante Il Portico. Birra Peroni e gelato italiano hanno completato l`italianita della serata.
SPEECH OF AMBASSADOR PIER MARIO DACCO ON THE OCCASION OF THE ITALIAN NATIONAL DAY (3 JUNE 2013) HON. GREYFORD MONDE, DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK. EXCELLENCIES, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FOR US AMBASSADORS, THE CELEBRATION OF THE NATIONAL DAY IS LIKE A BIRTHDAY - A REMINDER THAT YET A YEAR HAS GONE BY. PERSONALLY, IT FEELS LIKE IT WAS ONLY YESTERDAY WHEN I HOSTED MY FIRST NATIONAL DAY IN LUSAKA. IN ANY CASE IT IS FOR ME A GREAT HONOUR TO HAVE YOU ALL HERE TO CELEBRATE 152 YEARS OF ITALY AS A NATION UNITED. THIS PAST YEAR HAS GIVEN ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO BETTER GET TO KNOW THIS COUNTRY, TO APPRECIATE THE HUMAN QUALITIES OF ITS PEOPLE AND TO CONSOLIDATE THE IMAGE OF A COUNTRY SET ON AN IRREVERSABLE PATH OF DEVELOPMENT. AFRICA IS AT THE CENTRE OF THE WORLD S ATTENTION FOR THE REMARKABLE PROGRESS THAT MANY COUNTRIES, AND ESPECIALLY ZAMBIA, HAVE MADE IN RECENT YEARS. THE CHALLENGE FOR ZAMBIA IS NOW OF RENDERING THE ECONOMIC GROWTH MORE STRUCTURED AND INCLUSIVE. IN THIS EFFORT, ITALY STANDS BESIDES ZAMBIA, WITH ITALIAN ENTREPRENEURS GENERATING PROFITS AND CREATING EMPLOYMENT FOR THE ZAMBIAN PEOPLE; WITH ITALIAN COMPANIES BRINGING KNOW-HOW IN DIFFERENT ECONOMIC SECTORS; WITH NGO S WHICH FOR YEARS HAVE BEEN PRESENT AND APPRECIATED FOR THEIR EXCELLENT ACHIEVEMENTS. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO COMMEND THE EXTRAORDINARY PRESENCE OF SO MANY ITALIAN MISSIONARIES WHO DEDICATE THEIR LIFE BRINGING RELIEF TO THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE OF SOCIETY, IN SILENCE AND WITH THE CARE AND DEDICATION OF PARENTS.
I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REMEBER SISTER ILARIA, A FRANCISCAN NUN WHO RETURNED TO THE LAND OF THE FATHER ON 21ST MARCH, AFTER A LIFE SPENT IN ZAMBIA AT THE SIDE OF THE NEEDY. I WOULD LIKE TO REMEMBER HER WITH THE SAME WORDS EXPRESSED BY HER BROTHERS AND SISTERS: NATOTELA SANA, SISTER. BILATERAL RELATIONS BETWEEN ITALY AND ZAMBIA ARE EXCELLENT. THE EMBASSY OF ITALY STRIVES EVERY DAY IN ORDER TO INTENSIFY THE TIES BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY ECONOMIC TIES, BEARING IN MIND THAT THE HISTORY OF THESE RELATIONS DATES BACK TO THE ZAMBIAN INDEPENDENCE. THE KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT THE ITALIAN COMPANIES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REALIZE IN THE PAST, REPRESENTS A STRONG STIMULUS NOW, TO REVAMP OUR RELATIONS, RELATIONS THAT ARE BASED NOT ON A DONOR-RECIPIENT FOOTING, BUT ON A BASIS OF A COMPLEMENTARITY. OUR COMPANIES HAVE A RECOGNIZED CAPACITY OF ADAPTING TO LOCAL REALITIES AND NEEDS, THUS FITTING IN WITH THE ZAMBIAN POLICIES AIMING AT ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION AND ENFORCMENT OF LOCAL PRODUCTION, PARTICULARLY IN THE AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD TRANSFORMATION SECTORS. ANOTHER ASPECT IS THE ATTENTION GIVEN BY THE ITALIAN COMPANIES TO THE FORMATION OF LOCAL WORKFORCE, SO ENSURING SUCCESS IN LONG RUN ECONOMIC TERMS. IN THE YEARS GONE BY, ZAMBIA HAS WELCOMED MANY OF OUR CITIZENS WHO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY OPERATED WITH GREAT DETERMINATION AND ENERGY. I COMPLIMENT TONIGHT THOSE ITALIANS FOR THEIR GREAT ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT AND TALENT. LAST NOVEMBER, WITH THE ZAMBIAN EMBASSY IN ROME, WE ORGANIZED IN ITALY A COUNTRY PRESENTATION FOR ZAMBIA, WHICH GAINED THE INTEREST OF MANY COMPANIES AND INVESTORS. TWO WEEKS AGO A DELEGATION OF ITALIAN BUSINESSMEN VISITED ZAMBIA FOR THE FIRST TIME AND, HAVING ACQUIRED AN EXCELLENT IMPRESSION ON THE POTENTIAL OF THIS COUNTRY, ESTABLISHED THE FIRST CONTACTS OF WHAT IS TO BE, I AM CERTAIN, A FRUITFUL COLLABORATION.
MY HOPE IS THAT THE INVESTMENTS OF ITALIAN ENTERPRISES ALREADY PRESENT HERE, AND THOSE WHO WILL INVEST IN THE FUTURE, WILL BE PROTECTED BY A COMMON ENDEVOUR IN ORDER TO CONSTRUCT AND DEVELOP WEALTH IN THIS COUNTRY. I WOULD LIKE TO AVAIL OF THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CALL TO MIND THAT THE COOPERATION BETWEEN ITALY AND ZAMBIA, AS THAT WITH ALL THE OTHER EUROPEAN PARTNERS, EVOLVES ALSO THROUGH THE PROGRAMMES AND ACTION OF THE EUROPEAN DELEGATION, WHO I THANK FOR THE UNFLAGGING AND EXCELLENT WORK IN MANY IMPORTANT SECTORS. THE EMBASSY OF ITALY COMMITS ITSELF TO FURTHER DEVELOP ITS INITIATIVES, NOT ONLY AS I MENTIONED BEFORE IN PROMOTING TRADE AND INVESTMENTS, BUT ALSO CULTURAL, SOCIAL AS WELL AS CULINARY EVENTS, IN OTHER WORDS, THE ITALIAN LIFE STYLE. ALLOW ME, THEREFORE, TO CONVEY MY GRATITUDE TO THE CIRCOLO ITALIANO OF LUSAKA FOR ITS SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AND FOR THE LOGISTIC SUPPORT TO THIS RECEPTION, AS WELL AS PORTICO RESTAURANT THAT IN A FEW MOMENTS WILL OFFER ITS TASTEFUL PIZZA. LIKEWISE, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK TONI SCIARRINO AND DONATO ELICIO FOR THE ITALIAN ICE CREAM; AS WELL AS ZAMBIAN BREWERIES FOR THE PERONI BEER. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO THE ENTIRE STAFF OF MY EMBASSY FOR THE ENERGY AND COMMITMENT IN ENSURING THE SUCCESS OF THIS EVENING S EVENT. AND NOW, IN THE SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN ZAMBIA AND ITALY, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU ALL TO JOIN ME AS WE RAISE OUR GLASSES AND TOAST TO THE CONTINUED GOOD RELATIONS BETWEEN ITALY AND ZAMBIA, TO THE WELLBEING AND PROSPERITY OF THE PRESIDENT OF ZAMBIA, H.E. MICHAEL CHILUFYA SATA, OF YOURSELF, HONOURABLE DEPUTY MINISTER GREYFORD MONDE AND OF THE PEOPLE OF ZAMBIA.